Spinal Fractures Incurred by Sports-Related Injuries.

Abstract Background Sports related injuries are the third commonest cause of spine fractures. Spinal fractures incurred as a result of partaking in sport by their nature are different to those associated with frailty and road traffic accidents. The patient demographics and nature of fractures associated with sports activities is not well documented. We aim to describe the management and outcome of patients with a sports related spine fracture in a single UK major trauma centre in a 6-year time period. Methods Patients with sports related spinal fractures were identified from the Trauma Audit and Research Network database at a UK major trauma centre between January 2011 and December 2016. Patient notes were retrospectively reviewed for demographics, Injury Severity Score, treatment, complications and outcomes. Results 122 patients were admitted with a sports related spinal fracture in the study period, sustaining a total of 230 fractures. Of these, 48 (20.9%) were in the cervical, 79 (34.3%) in the thoracic and 103 (44.8%) in the lumbar regions. The sports most commonly associated with spinal fractures were horse riding (n=55), cycling (n=36) and boating (n=10). Of the 230 fractures, 32 (13.9%) were associated with neurological injury. Forty-five of the 230 fractures (19.6%) were managed surgically, and the remainder were managed conservatively. Conclusions Within our population sports most commonly associated with spinal fractures were horse riding, cycling and boating. The majority of cases were managed non-operatively. Further research is required to establish evidence-based guidelines on the management of sports related spinal fractures.